Scott Smith sentenced to 30 years in prison for murdering his wife "Nok" in 2020

A Littleton man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison as part of a plea agreement for pleading guilty to the murder of his wife. Scott Smith, 47, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Feb. 9 in the death of his wife  Kanokwan "Nok" Smith, 46, and was sentenced on Thursday.

According to the First Judicial District Attorney's Office, Nok's family was watching the court proceedings virtually from Thailand and described her as "a hardworking and selfless mother, sister, daughter, and friend. Her friends and family shared that she spent her life working multiple jobs to provide for those around her, including Smith."

Prosecutors said that there was significant evidence to prove that Smith had planned the murder and used examples of Smith's concerning behavior in the months leading up to the murder, like "surveilling his wife, setting odd calendar reminders, and obsessing over what would happen to her money when the divorce was final."

"Smith also exhibited highly suspicious behavior on the day of the murder," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Tyra Forbes. "He texted Nok instructing her to put her ring in the safe, halted payment on a check, and several hours before the 911 call, he no call/no showed a longstanding weekly therapy session." 

Friends and family told police that Nok was afraid of her husband and was trying to get away from him. Despite their pending divorce, Nok allowed Smith to live in the basement. 

On Nov. 1, 2020, Smith called 911 and told the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office that he had shot his wife in self defense at their home in Littleton when she tried to kill him with a butcher knife. He was taken into custody the next day and then released five days later because of a lack of evidence. 

After he was taken into custody, Smith called his mother and asked her to recover surveillance cameras from the home. Investigators determined that three cameras were missing from locations that would provide "great value to determining the events that occurred in the home on the evening of Nov. 1, 2020."

After nearly a year of investigation, Smith was arrested on Sept. 24, 2021 and charged with first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. 

On Sept. 30, 2021, Theresa Rino, 67, was charged with accessory to a crime, attempted tampering with physical evidence and commit to tampering with evidence. She has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.